12 March 2016

Two Indian statues that are more than 1,000 years old were seized
Friday from Christie's auction house after investigators discovered they
had been smuggled out of the country, eventually landing in New York.

The
antiquities were to be part of an auction next week called "The Lahiri
Collection: Indian and Himalayan Art, Ancient and Modern."

Both
are made from sandstone. One statue called "Stele of Rishabhanata"
depicts a cross-legged teacher flanked by standing attendants. It is
valued at about $150,000 and dates from the 10th century. The second is a
rare representation of an equestrian deity, Revanta, worth $300,000
from the 8th century.